Sampson takes page out of McHale’s book

LOS ANGELES — Dripping in sweat, Kelvin Samson returned from the Toyota Center practice court for the nightly pregame meeting with the media required of NBA head coaches.

Sampson’s condition was not from nervousness about the session or running late. The Rockets’ acting head coach is still a Rockets assistant coach, still managing those responsibilities with his new, temporary duties. At the time a head coach usually enjoys a last lull before each night’s game, Sampson had been putting James Harden through his customary pregame paces while he went leap-frogging from assistant to head coach.

“It is busy,” Sampson said with a brief laugh, but no complaint. “But we understand the circumstances of why we’re here.”

Sampson is serving as head coach through Kevin McHale’s leave of absence because of a family medical emergency. Though Sampson speaks with McHale several times a day, there is no timetable for his return.

While the attention tonight will no doubt be on the other bench, where Mike D’Antoni is scheduled to make his debut as Lakers coach, the Rockets continue with more unusual circumstances, comparing filling in for McHale to a team playing without its star.

“He’s done a great job stepping up and being the head coach,” Rockets assistant J.B. Bickerstaff said. “One of the things he’s done is being very inclusive. … We’re heavily involved in the process. He’s been great in assuming the responsibilities, but also with the assistants.

“For everybody, you’re trying to fill in a small piece of what we had with Mac. I think it falls on all the assistants to do that. Whatever is your focus, you have to up it. There are more decisions you have to make now, more you have to contribute because Mac is gone. I think everybody has to step up.”

More than one voice

In a league in which many coaches employ Pat Riley’s “one voice” philosophy — no one other than Jeff Van Gundy was heard during his practices — McHale prefers to have his assistants heavily involved. McHale keeps final say, but Sampson generally runs the defense; Bickerstaff and Chris Finch help guide the offense.

“He allows all of the assistants to have a voice,” Sampson said. “We have strong voices in practice. We have strong voices in the locker room with our players. And I think that’s a credit to Kevin. A lot of coaches are territorial about their team. I think that says a lot about Kevin’s confidence in himself and knowing who he is and being comfortable in his skin.”

In his absence, McHale and Sampson have talked about the team, but McHale has positioned himself to be more of a sounding board and confidante. He immediately sought to empower Sampson to follow his own instincts, from playing rookie Terrence Jones in his first game as acting coach to sitting Jeremy Lin through overtime on Friday.

Sampson has tweaked pick-and-roll coverages in some games, put in new out-of-bounds plays for others, all with McHale’s blessing. The priorities, however, are unchanged, with the Rockets seeking shots at the rim and 3-point line offensively, protecting the paint defensively and trying to run in between.

“When he called me on that Sunday, it was a very emotional time for him and it still is,” Sampson said. “He said ‘Do what you feel is right. Coach the team. Coach them up the way you feel.’ That’s what I do. I have great confidence in Chris and J.B. and Coop (Dean Cooper) and Buck (Greg Buckner). I think we have great respect for each other. I’m the voice out front, but we’re all in this together.

“Mac’s watched our games. He’s got more important things to worry about right now than what we should be doing offensively or defensively. Again, I go back to Kevin has empowered us to coach this team. He gives us so much freedom and so much free reign to make our own suggestions, I don’t feel like I have to do it a certain way.”

Each coach said that coaching style has made it easier to speak up now, making it a more “natural transition,” Finch said.

“Players are used to hearing us speak up,” Finch said. “It’s not a question of creating new roles. It is each filling in the gaps. Everybody has to step up in their own area a little more to fill the void where his voice has been.”

The right demeanor

Finch, who has been a head coach through most of his career in England and in the D-League, said Sampson has a “head coaching demeanor, head coaching sensibilities.”

With each coach seeking to pick up the slack, however, there would seem to be none that could claim to have been one of the all-time great players. Still, someone fills the void.

“Buck gets away with it,” Bickerstaff said. “He at least played, and he tells us how good he was.”

Buckner has a marked lack of stories about playing with Larry Bird, Dennis Johnson and Robert Parrish. But as with filling in when a star is hurt, a situation with which the Rockets are unusually familiar, they plan to keep seeking ways to step up.